Penguins News

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed undrafted free agent goaltender Alex D'Orio to a three-year, entry-level contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Jim Rutherford.

D'Orio, 18, backstopped the Penguins to the best record during the 2017 Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, going 2-0-1 and stopping 74 of the 82 shots he faced in three appearances. He also participated in the Penguins' prospect development camp in July.

A 6-foot-2, 209-pound native of Sherbrooke, Quebec, D'Orio enjoyed a stellar rookie season with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2016-17, helping his club win their league championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup tournament.

D'Orio, who like former Penguins goalie Tom Barrasso catches with his right hand, saw action in 28 regular-season games for the Sea Dogs, posting a 19-2-2 record to accompany his team-low 2.40 goals-against average and .903 save percentage. Heading into the 2017 NHL Draft, D'Orio was ranked as one of the top-15 North American goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting.

This season, D'Orio is expected to take on a much bigger workload for the Sea Dogs. In preseason action, he stopped 28 of the 30 shots he saw in 90 minutes of action over a pair of appearances. His lone start was a 13-save shutout against Acadie-Bathurst.

Saint John chose D'Orio in the first round (9th overall) of the 2015 QMJHL Draft.